Why You Should Care About Mary Kay Henry

Mary Kay Henry is one of the most powerful women in America. And she is also one of the most powerful LGBT people as well (No. 33 on Out's Power List). She recently spoke to the Denver Post about her goals as the leader of the SEIU, including getting Obama reelected.

"We've been looking at the crisis facing working people and the deepening divide that is occurring in the country, and our members, amazingly to me, are ready to stand up and fight back. The first step is the election," Henry said. "Then the second, third and fourth steps are to grow a movement for change in this country that challenges, frankly, the 1 percent's grip on our democracy."

As the Post points out, "She reconciles the gay and Catholic aspects of her life this way: 'I think of my church as the church of the people and not as the institutional hierarchy that has doctrines that are not connected to my faith.' "

Need more to get you on her side? Well just listen to this:

"Things have gotten so out of whack," Henry said, "and workers are so angry about this basic unfairness, that we just have to create the basic conditions for workers to be able to join unions again on the scale of millions. Like at beginning of 20th century."